Reyna Lilly Potter and The Philosophers' Stone
by cooldragon87
Summary: When Reyna Potter was a baby she destroyed the most evil wizard of the century. Now at eleven years of age she has been enrolled to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With her new friends Ron and Hermione she goes on several adventures all the while she tries to figure out what could be on the forbidden 3rd floor corridor and the secret behind the Philosophers' Stone.
1. Chapter 1- The Girl Who Lived

Chapter one- The Girl Who Lived

Notice: I imagine my female Harry to look look like Georgie Henley.

On a dull, grey ordinary Tuesday morning Mr Vernon and Mrs Petunia Dursley of number 4 Privet Drive woke up. This family was a perfectly ordinary family, nothing odd about them. Mr Dursley was a potato sized man with a short neck and greying hair. He worked for a firm called Grummings that made drills. Mrs Dursley was a thin bony tall woman who was the opposite in terms of size to Mr Dursley: she had a long neck like an ostrich, high cheek bones, and short black curly hair with beady looking eyes. They had a very young son called Dudley who showed as being the perfect embodiment as Mr Dursley in both looks and personality only with Petunia Dursley's black hair.

Petunia was a house wife while Vernon went to work. He first noticed a cat reading a newspaper then the road sign but soon forgot about it. As he drove he noticed another odd occurrence on the roads: people were dressed in all different coloured cloaks with pointy hats talking excitedly in groups. He had rolled down the window and managed to catch snippets of the conversation of a group of fairly old people on the corner as he passed them by.

"Did you hear? The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their daughter, Reyna."

He soon forgot this again though, as he thought the Potter's were a fairly popular name that it could have been anyone not one related to his wife's side of the family. As he went to work and sat with his back to a clear window with a lovely view owls were flying about that normally come out till night.

As he drove home he saw that the cat had moved to sit on the wall of his home and just decided that he would try to forget the strange occurrences of this day.

Later on when the neighbourhood had gone to sleep an owl that was sitting on the street sign flies off before an old man wearing a purple cloak and pointy hat came forth, looking like he just appeared out of nowhere. He stops next to it and takes out a strange looking cigarette lighter looking device that brings all the light out of the lampposts to it, one by one, leaving the street in darkness. As he puts away the device the cat that now sat in front of him that was sitting on the Dursley's front wall meows. This man was Albus Dumbledore and he looked down at the tabby cat.

"I should have known that you would be here...Professor McGonagall," Albus spoke to the cat, watching as the shadow of it on the wall steadily grew taller into a human shape.

It was revealed to be Professor McGonagall, who was an old lady with a strict looking persona and was wearing an emerald green cloak and a black pointy hat with glasses that were in the exact same place as they black lines around the cats eyes were. "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Are the rumours true, Albus?" she asks him, worried as they start walking towards number 4 Privet Drive.

"I'm afraid they are Professor. The good and the bad."

"... And the girl?"

"Hagrid is bringing her," Albus quickly reassured her.

"Do you think it wise to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

They stopped in front of the path leading to 4 Privet drive. "Ah, Professor, I would trust Hagrid with my life."

They look up as they heard the sound of the engine of a motorbike getting closer and closer to them. A motorbike that has its headlights on appeared in the darkness. It skidded slightly onto the street and halted in front of them. The motorbike and lights are turned off and off gets a giant of a man with long dark brown tangly hair and beard wearing a massive brown leather coat and goggles that is carrying a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. This man is named Rubeus Hagrid who takes off his goggles and faces Albus and Minerva, cradling the bundle.

He speaks with a deep warm voice; nowhere near as threatening as he might sound or seem to others that don't know him. "Professor Dumbledore, Sir. Professor McGonagall."

"No problems, I trust, Hagrid?" Dumbledore asks him.

"No, sir. Little tyke fell asleep just as we were flying over Bristol. Heh. Try not to wake her. There you go." He carefully handed the bundle which was in fact a little baby girl over to Dumbledore.

Albus and Minerva walk towards the Dursley's door with the child while Hagrid stayed at the entrance.

"Albus, do you really think it's safe, leaving her with these people? I've been watching them all day. They're the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are..." Minerva was cut off gently by Albus.

"The only family she has," he told her. They stop outside the door.

"This girl will be famous," Minerva stated in awe. "There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know her name."

"Exactly," Albus agreed. "She's better off growing up away from all that. Until she is ready," they looked down at the child when they heard Hagrid snuffle and cough and look up to find him crying. "There, there, Hagrid," he comforted him. "It's not really good-bye, after all."

Hagrid nods in agreement before Albus takes a letter out of his cloak and places it on the baby, who was now placed at the foot of the door. Looking at the baby you could see she had a visible lightning-bolt shaped scar on the right side of her forehead.

"Good luck...Reyna Potter," Albus wished before the three vanished off into the night, the lampposts re-lighted and the only thing different was the baby on the doorstep.

~RP~

The next morning when Petunia would go outside to fetch her milk bottles she would get the shock of her life by finding her sisters daughter on her doorstep. She screamed.


	2. Chapter 2- The Zoo

Chapter two- The Zoo

Nearly ten years after Reyna was delivered to the Dursley's you would find there is a young girl in a cupboard under the stairs asleep with the lightning shaped scar on her forehead.

I wake up to the sound of someone rapping on the door. "Up. Get up," Petunia's shrill voice orders me. She knocks again, "Now!" Wow, I really hate her voice in the morning. I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes as I'm still partially sleepy and put on my round glasses that I've only ever had as Uncle Vernon won't let me visit the optician to either sort my eyes out or get a new pair of glasses. I was trying to remember the dream I was having, it was quite a good one: a flying motorcycle with a flash of green light. I was sure that I'd had it before.

I then hear the sound of footsteps running down the stairs I live under before the person whom I know to be my fat cousin Dudley jumps on one, causing dust to fall on top of me. I'm quite used to dust and spiders unlike most girls who would scream at the sight of them. Once at school Dudley and his gang of friends, bullies the lot of them, had found a spider and placed it in a girl's frizzy brown hair. The girl had screamed, alerting me to the situation. I always felt an injustice at what Dudley did to people. I let the spider crawl onto my hand and let it out the window. This caused me a round of punches and teases from Dudley and his friends for messing up their fun. I've had a lot of that punishment from Dudley and Uncle Vernon the past ten years I've lived here. None of them like me.

When I was really young I only ever knew my name to be freak and nothing else till I was four years old.

I don't know why they dislike me so much though I suppose it's because of the odd things that happen around me. Once at school Dudley and his gang had cornered me but I really didn't want to get beaten up that day so I managed to run away from them. I had run round the school and jumped up on some bins. At the time I was thinking that I had to get away and suddenly found myself on the roof. I caused a ruckus for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia and was sent to my cupboard for weeks before I was let out again. I heard the two talking about needing to beat out that freak nature.

"Wake up, cousin! We're going to the zoo!" Dudley said, bringing me out of my not so pleasant memories of when I was younger. Dudley laughed and ran down the rest of the stairs.

How could I forget, the zoo? Oh joy! It's Dudley's birthday today. I put on a pair of socks and still dressed in my plain red pyjamas, I try to get out of my cupboards but found my way blocked by Dudley who grabbed my hair and shoved me back into the cupboard. Why do I get the feeling that everything's going to go wrong today?

I rub my head, it hurting where Dudley had nearly scratched me with his uneven nails and walked into the kitchen to find Petunia cooking the breakfast. Sometimes she does the breakfast and other times order me to do it. I have to do all the chores around the rest of the house as well, every day. Sometimes I even get asked to help out the neighbours. You would have thought I might be quite muscular from dong those tasks but I hardly get fed so I am now skinny for my age with my clothes hanging off me as Petunia doesn't like getting me new clothes. She prefers wasting Uncle Vernon's money on the spoiled son Dudley.

"Oh, here he comes, the birthday boy!" said Aunt Petunia.

I see that Dudley has gone to his mother and is being hugged and kissed on both cheeks by her, both of them smiling and laughing before they see me at the doorway, their faces changing into a scowl of annoyance and disgust.

I turn to see Uncle Vernon, the meanest person on the planet sitting at the table next to the living room. "Happy birthday, son," he grinned at Dudley before carrying on reading the newspaper which he does every morning.

"Why don't you just cook the breakfast, and try not to burn anything," Petunia growls at me. Ah, so she's making me cook breakfast today.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," it's easier to just agree because then I won't have to miss any meals, be locked in my cupboards for days or get a beating, maybe all three. You would think people would go easier if you're a girl but they don't.

I see that she's already put the bacon in the saucepan and set to work flipping the slices over.

I saw Petunia cover Dudley's eyes as she manoeuvred him over to his huge pile of presents. I saw them as I came in. The pile gets bigger and more ridiculous every year. Once Dudley got an exercise bike that he never used. I don't understand the point of that. Sometimes whenever they left me alone I would use the Television and play some of Dudley's games or go upstairs to a whole room filled with Dudley's toys that had a few books that I would read.

"I want everything to be perfect for my Dudley's special day," Petunia smiled happily at the thought.

"Hurry up! Bring my coffee, girl!" Uncle Vernon shouted at me angrily. I forgot about that.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon."

Petunia lets go of Dudley's eyes and he stares at his presents before turning to his father. He doesn't look happy. "How many are there?"

"Thirty six, counted 'em myself."

"Thirty-six?!" Dudley shouted. Yep, he's a spoiled brat. "But last year last year I got thirty-seven!"

"Yes, well, some of them are quite a bit bigger than last year!"

"I don't care how big they are!"

Petunia crouched down and patted his shoulder, speaking nervously, "Oh, now, now, now. This is what we're going to do, is that when we go out we're going to buy you two new presents! How's that, Pumpkin?" Pumpkin describes Dudley perfectly; he's so greedy and fat, just like a pumpkin.

~RP~

We all get ready, me getting into some worn out grey soft cotton trousers, worn out trainers and a plain dark green long sleeve top that hung off me somewhat. My dark brown hair that was almost black and waist length, and was an uncontrolled mess of curls starting underneath my shoulders was let down. A few times when I went to the hairdressers and had it cut I noticed that the next day my hair had grown again. The Dursley's gave up after a few times. I had bright green eyes, pale skin and a weird lightning bolt shaped scar on the right hand side of my forehead. It's strange; I've had it ever since I could remember. I tried asking Aunt Petunia about it but she just told me off for asking stupid questions and to not ask it again.

We all head to Uncle Vernon's silver car. I go to get in but am stopped by Uncle Vernon who pulls me a way a bit.

"This will be a lovely day at the zoo. I'm really looking forward to it," Petunia says as she and Dudley get in the car (Petunia in the passenger seat and Dudley behind her).

"I'm warning you now, girl. Any funny business, any at all, and you won't have any meals for a week. Get in." And the blame always will fall to me.

~RP~

It was after lunch now and it was getting pretty hot so Petunia wanted to go to the reptile house which was supposed to be shady and cool. We had seen monkeys, birds, lamas, rhinos and many more animals. I was having a great time since I don't usually, if at all, get to go to places like this. I was even offered an ice lolly when the lady who was serving asked me if I would like one when she saw that only Dudley got one. Aunt Petunia grudgingly got me a small lemon lolly. It wasn't much but I've learnt to appreciate the little things in life and thought it was fantastic.

We head inside the Reptile house where it was indeed cool and dark. We walked up to a huge snake. Dudley got right up to the glass, pressing his nose against it before he said to his dad, "make it move."

Uncle Vernon raps his knuckles against the glass of the cage, "move!"

Dudley raps the glass even harder, and even Vernon winces. That had got to hurt. Not that I cared tough. "Move!" he shouted at it.

"He's asleep!" I told him, couldn't he see that? The snake had his eyes closed. But I should know by now that Dudley is quite the dumb boy.

Dudley sighed, annoyed, "he's boring."

I shook my head at him as the family walked away, I don't count myself as part of their family. He had been really rude and nasty to the snake.

"Sorry about him," I say to the snake. "He doesn't understand what it's like, lying there day after day, having people press their ugly faces in on you." I wonder if it's worse than my life.

The snake suddenly lifts its head up, looks at me and winks.

Wow! That did just happen?! "Can you...hear me?" I ask it. The snake nods its big head. "It's just...I've never talked to a snake before. Do you...I mean...do you talk to people often?" The snake shakes its head, no. I didn't really think so. "You're from Burma, aren't you? Was it nice there, do you miss your family?" The snake turns its head in the direction of a sign on the right which says, 'Bred in Captivity'. I feel sorry for the snake. "I see. That's me as well. I never knew my parents, either." I've been living with the Dursley's all my life. They told me my parents died in a car crash.

Just then I was pushed to the floor by Dudley, which hurt, who had noticed the snake was now awake and had come to look at it, pressing his body to the glass. "Mummy, dad, come here! You won't believe what this snake is doing!" Dudley shouts to them.

I glare at him from the ground, thinking how funny it would be if Dudley was in the cage and locked in there instead of the snake. As suddenly as I thought that, the glass disappeared. Dudley fell into a small pond getting him soaked. He choked, sputtering water out of his mouth. I was shocked, how did that happen? It couldn't have been me, could it?

We both watched as the snake slithers out of the exhibit, stopping in front of me once its whole body was out.

"Thanksssssssss," the snake actually spoke!

"Anytime." I watch as it leaves the enclosure, leaving everybody screaming in its wake. Everybody either left or tried to find high ground.

I look up to see Dudley get up to get out but can't as the glass had somehow returned. I can't believe it, I thought, starting to smile. He is stuck.

He started to pound the glass with his fists. "Mum, mummy!"

Petunia turns and sees him, "ahhhhhhh!"

"Mum, help! Help me!"

She starts trying to find a way in. "My darling boy! How did you get in there?!"

I grin and chuckle, this was quite funny to watch, nothing bad ever happens to Dudley. It seems he's gotten a taste of his own medicine.

However, I then see Uncle Vernon glare down at me and my grin disappears as I can guess that he's thinking it has something to do with me being a freak. Great, I wonder what my punishments going to be.

Petunia continues screaming, "Who did this? How did you get in there? Is there a snake?" Petunia is as dumb as her son. Can't she see there is no snake?

~RP~

We drive back to the house after being apologised to profusely by the manager of the zoo. Uncle Vernon was fuming and Aunt Petunia was fussing over Dudley who was making a way to big a deal of the incident with the snake. I still have no idea how it happened. Dudley looked even more like a pig wrapped up in blankets the way he was I noticed as Aunt Petunia helped him inside. "It's all right. It's all right," Petunia was saying to him, calming him down.

As soon as I get in with Uncle Vernon he slams the door shut and grabs my hair tighter then Dudley did earlier. He then shoved me against the wall. "Ow!" that really hurts.

"What happened?" Uncle Vernon shouted in my face.

It won't make a difference what I say, he won't listen to me. "I swear I don't know! One minute the glass was there and then it was gone! It was like magic!"

He shoves me into my closet room, closes the door in my face and opens a small latch on the door. "There's no such thing as magic!" before he slams it shut and stomps away.


	3. Chapter 3- The Letter

Chapter three- The Letter

They left me alone for a while, while they presumably doted on Dudley's every needs.

Outside an owl flies by the house and drops a letter, which zooms in the letterbox. It lands away from the house and hoots.

Just before we have lunch I go to collect the mail. I sort through the letters so I know who to give them to. As I got to the last letter I saw it addressed to me! I couldn't believe it, nobody writes to me. The envelope was a faded cream colour with my exact address written in green ink. They somehow new I lived in the cupboard under the stairs. Were they watching the house or something? I go through the kitchen to the dining table and hand Uncle Vernon the rest of the mail as it was all addressed to him. Mine read 'Miss R. Potter, The Cupboard under the Stairs, Little Whinging, Surrey'. I turned my envelope over to see it had a red wax seal on the back.

As I was about to open it I heard Uncle Vernon say, "Ah, Marge is ill. Ate a funny whelk."

I don't notice Dudley noticing my letter and get up to run but I do notice as he grabs it off me to bring to his dad. "Dad, look! Reyna's got a letter!"

He can't do that. "Hey, give it back! It's mine!"

Uncle Vernon laughed, disbelieving, "yours? Who'd be writing to you?"

Uncle Vernon, Dudley and Aunt Petunia gather to look at the address before Uncle Vernon turned it over to see the broken seal, as I had just started to open it. The family slowly look up at me warily and angrily in Uncle Vernon's case. I gulp nervously, notably, knowing they weren't going to let me read the letter but I didn't know why. Well, they hardly ever let me have anything of my own that's for sure.

~RP~

Later on in the afternoon another owl flies by with a letter for Reyna and drops it off.

Inside the house Uncle Vernon stands by the door and grabs a handful of letters that have been posted and rips them to shreds.

A few minutes later in my closet of a room I hear a whirring noise while I'm playing with my toy plastic soldiers as I was bored. I open the door slowly and peek out to see Uncle Vernon by the door drilling blocks of wood over the letterbox. "No more mail through this letterbox," Uncle Vernon growled under his breath. Why do I have the feeling that what he is doing isn't going to work.

The next morning Vernon and Petunia are outside, Vernon getting ready to go to work. "Have a lovely day at the office, dear." As Petunia kisses his cheek she notices the strange sight of a couple of owls sitting on the roof of Vernon's car.

Vernon notices them as well, "Shoo!" he waved his arm in a shooing motion, trying to get them away from his car. "Go on!"

Petunia looks down and notices those same letters that were addressed to Reyna, she catches Vernon's attention and the both stare unhappily at them.

Inside the house after dinner Vernon is kneeling in front of the fire and is tossing more letters for Reyna into the fireplace. I come around the corner and watch him sadly do it. Why won't they let me read my letter? I never get any mail. I've got no friend whatsoever. Vernon turns around and notices me watching. He grins evilly at me and tosses more in, I watch them burn.

It's now been another week since we first started getting nonstop letters for me. In the living room the Dursley's are sat down while I'm serving them cookies, having already given those cups of tea. Uncle Vernon was sitting on an armchair while Aunt Petunia and Dudley were sitting in the sofa together.

As I was giving Dudley yet another cookie Vernon spoke, "Fine day Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week. Why is that, Dudley?" he asked his son. Why would he do that? Dudley is a dumb animal. He won't know so I decided to answer him instead as I offered a cookie to him.

"Because there's no post on Sunday?" Pretty sure that was the right answer but it could have been something else, unlikely though.

"Ah, right you are, Reyna. No post on Sunday. Hah! No blasted letters today. No, sir."

I notice a small shadow pass by the window. The curtains were drawn so I couldn't see what it was. I looked outside the window and noticed that it was an owl that flew past. In fact millions of owls are perched around number 4 Privet Drive. "No sir, not one blasted miserable..."

He was interrupted by a whooshing noise. I turned to see a letter shoot out of the fireplace and zips across the room nearly scraping Uncle Vernon's face. There is a rumbling sound and then millions of letters come shooting out of the fireplace.

I could hardly believe my eyes. Is this really happening? This is my lucky day.

"Ahh! Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Dudley's such a coward. He's afraid of letters. He jumps on Aunt Petunia's lap.

The family all start screaming while I look around happily at my letters. They must be very important if there's this many of them and there trying to sell me them this badly.

"Go away, Ahh!" Uncle Vernon tries swatting away a few letters flying around near him.

"What is it? Please tell me what's happening!" Aunt Petunia asked nobody in particular.

I decide to finally think about catching a letter and jump on the coffee table to try and grab a letter. I'm having a lot of fun just doing this. I grab one and check to make sure that these letters are for me as well then I run to my bedroom quickly otherwise Uncle Vernon will take away my letter again. Behind me I saw Uncle Vernon jump up and try to grab me.

"Give me that! Give me that letter!" he shouts, rushing after me while trying to take cover of the letters that were still pouring into the room.

I manage to get to my cupboard but before I can get in there Uncle Vernon grabs me.

"Get off! Ahh!" Then a torrent of letters came in and broke through the wooden boards nailed to the letter box. Most of them hitting us.

"They're my letters! Let go of me!" I'm still trying to get away from him as he sits on a chair in the hall, bringing me with him so I can't escape.

"That's it! We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!"

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?!" I heard Dudley ask his mother. He went mad a long time ago Dudley, as well as the rest of your horrid family.


	4. Chapter 4- The Keeper of Keys

Chapter four- The Keeper of Keys

After I did not get my letter Uncle Vernon told us all to pack our things before we got in the car and drove off. Dudley was having a massive tantrum about not being able to take most of his games and about being hungry.

Uncle Vernon stopped three times on the road before we reached our destination: once next to a farm, once on a bridge and the final time by the sea.

He had told us to stay in the car while he went inside a shop for a while and came back out with a bag of food and something else.

An old dark wooden house on a rocky island somewhere out at sea was seen as we journeyed in a small boat (that I wasn't sure could hold all of us for long) towards it.

It was now nearing midnight with the rest of the family asleep. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in a room upstairs, Dudley on the only sofa in the fire that burnt out hours ago and me on the floor. We only got to have crisps and not very good bananas for dinner but I've had less than that before or nothing at all.

I would rather be in my cupboard than where we are. There was a bit of a draft in the room, I could hear drips of water coming from somewhere, the whole lighthouse (for that's what it was) smelt of salt water and the ground was cold and dirty. I only had a really worn out, thin blanket to keep me warm whereas Dudley had three.

I was lying on my stomach and I had just drawn myself a birthday cake with eleven candles and around it read 'Happy Birthday Reyna' using the dust and dirt on the floor. I don't even think they'll remember it's my birthday tomorrow. Anyway, it won't matter if they do, they won't give me any presents.

I look at Dudley's watch as it beeped 12:00. It was my birthday. I turn back to my birthday cake, "make a wish, Reyna." I wish I knew what was in that letter. I blew on the cake as if I was snuffing out candles instead of dust when suddenly the front door thumps. That made me jump.

The door thumps again causing Dudley to wake and for us both to jump up and back away.

Coming down the stairs I see Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia appear, Vernon with a gun. I can't believe it, so that's what he had got and hid from us. I hide behind an alcove just in case whoever is coming is dangerous. The door bangs again and then slams to the floor. The silhouette of a giant appears in the doorway before slowly stomping inside.

It was revealed to be a very tall man with very wild brown hair and a long frizzy beard and brown eyes. He had to be at least seven or eight feet tall if not taller. The only thing that I could see him wearing was what looked like a very think long brown coat. "Sorry 'bout that," the man spoke. He pulled the door back up causing the house to shake.

"I demand that you leave at once, Sir! You are breaking and entering!" Uncle Vernon shouted at the man.

The man goes over to him and grabs the gun and bends it upwards. "Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." This causes the gun to fire.

"Ahh!" the family scream while I try and control my breathing.

"Now, where is Reyna?"

Well, he hasn't harmed us yet. I decide to come out of my hiding place. "H-here."

"Ah, there ya are. Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same. Ahh. Baked it myself," he hands me a white box. "Words and all. Heh."

I open the box to reveal a slightly squished circular cake with green icing and words in red icing that read 'Happy Birthday Reyna.' "Thank you!" Wow, I've never had a birthday cake before let alone a gift.

"It's not every day that your young woman turns eleven, now is it?" The man sits down on the coach which bounces and sags a bit under his weight, takes out a faded red umbrella and points it at the empty fireplace. It makes the noise 'Poof, poof!' Two sparks fly out and the fire starts. I gape in astonishment at that. How was that possible?

I put down the cake and decide to ask the man who he is. "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. 'Course, you'll know all about Hogwarts." Why does he think that? I've never heard of the place.

"Sorry, no."

He seemed very shocked at that. "No? Blimey, Reyna, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

"Learnt what?" Hagrid seemed to know my parents?

He leaned in towards me as if imparting something secret or special. "You're a witch, Reyna." This man is playing jokes on me, surely? I mean, who believes that witches and wizards are real.

"I-I'm a what?" I ask him, I have to get clarification on what he said. I might think I'm dreaming otherwise.

He leaned back against the sofa. "A witch and a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once you train up a little." Trained up a little? Why does he think I'm a witch anyway? I'd bet I be a pretty poor one.

"No, you've made a mistake. I can't be... a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Reyna. Just Reyna." That's all I've ever been, no one special.

"Well, Just Reyna, did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?" I've found my expression softens while I'm thinking if he means the incidences like the snake and the rooftop at school.

I hear Dudley whimper behind me, the whimp.

Hagrid hands me the same letter that has been sent to me that caused us to be sent here. I'm going to finally get to be able to read it. I open it.

I read it out loud. "Dear, Miss. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Wow! So that's what he maybe meant by training. I can't believe there's an actual school for witches and wizards, and that they themselves are real.

Uncle Vernon rushed to stand next to me. "She'll not be going! We swore when we took her in we'd put an end to this rubbish!" What?!

"You knew?" I shouted angrily at him for keeping this from me, though really I shouldn't be surprised. I turned to Aunt Petunia. "You knew all along and you never told me?"

Aunt Petunia scoffed and scowled as she turned to slowly walk next to Uncle Vernon. "Of course we knew. How could you not be? My _perfect_ sister being who she was. Oh, my mother and father were so _proud_ the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with you." What?! They told me that they died in a car crash. They lied all this time?

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

Now Hagrid got angry at them. "A car crash? A car crash kills James and Lily Potter?"

"We had to tell her something," Aunt Petunia lamely defended herself.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!"

"She'll not be going!" Vernon said to Hagrid.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like your self's going to stop her, are you?"

What on earth is a Muggle? "Muggle?" I asked Hagrid.

"Non-magic folk," he said to me before turning back to them. "This girl's had her name down ever since she was born! She's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts' has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore." He said that name proudly. It seemed he was in awe of the man. He must be a very famous and powerful man.

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!" Vernon should not have said that. Vernon and Petunia cowered as Hagrid drew himself up to his full height. It seems he angered Hagrid by saying bad things about this Albus Dumbledore fellow.

Hagrid whips out a rotten faded red umbrella and points it at Vernon. "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." Hagrid sees Dudley eating my cake, and points the umbrella at his rear. A pink pig tail grows.

"Ahh!" Dudley screamed. What? No way! That was magic! I so want to learn how to do that. That's the best thing I have ever seen in my whole life.

"Ahh!" Vernon and Petunia scream before they chase after Dudley who had gone out of the lighthouse.

I laugh in delight. This is too good to be true.

I turned to Hagrid as he spoke again. I owe that man. "Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."

I wonder why that it but I don't think it's my place to ask. Besides he got Dudley back for all the times he's ever bullied me. I'll be forever grateful to him. So I nod. "Okay." I won't tell anyone what happened here today.

Hagrid brought a small clock out of his pocket. "Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off. Unless you'd rather stay, of course. Hmm?" He smiles before he leaves.

I look around the lighthouse and I know for certain that anywhere should be better then here and living with the Dursley. So I grin, looking forward to my new life and follow Hagrid outside to see him standing by a motorbike.

"Uh, Hagrid, how are we supposed to get to the mainland with that motorbike?"

"You'll see, Reyna. Climb on back." He sat down then I climbed on behind him. "How on tight," he warned me. I grabbed on tightly to his huge thick cloak, still not sure what was going to happen before he started driving the motorbike at a fast speed. It was a bit bumpy and the next thing I knew I could feel us going up off the ground.

In front of me Hagrid laughed. "Open your eyes Reyna."

I did so and the first thing I noticed was looking down at the sea below me. We were flying! I couldn't believe it. It seems a lot of things have surprised me today. I looked in amazement as we flew below the stars. If this was what it felt like to fly, free and uncontrolled, I can't wait to see what we'll learn at school.

"You having fun Reyna?" asked Hagrid.

"This is brilliant," I replied. Hagrid laughed at my awestruck expression.


	5. Chapter 5- Diagon Alley

Chapter Five- Diagon Alley

Once we'd gotten to the mainland Hagrid said we'd keep travelling till we reach London. As soon as we did, we parked the motorbike in a dark alley and started exploring London's streets. I'd never been to London before.

I took out my letter and went to the next page where it explained what pieces of equipment I would need for school. "All students must be equipped with...one standard size two pewter cauldron and may bring if they desire either an owl, a cat or a toad. Can we find all this in London?" I asked Hagrid, looking up at him quite a bit as I was nowhere near tall enough to look at him face to face, being as young as I was. I don't think I'll ever be as tall as him.

"If you know where to go," Hagrid replied in a mysterious voice.

He led me to a dungy looking corner store that looks like a rundown grubby pub, known to witches and wizards as the Leaky Cauldron, a famous place Hagrid tells me. I wouldn't of noticed it if Hagrid hadn't pointed it out. I hear talking as we enter through the door.

I don't really see any change from the outside to the inside expect for these old people dressed in robes and pointy hats. For a famous place it certainly doesn't seem very nice. Who dresses in that kind of fashion? The Barkeep Tom notices Hagrid and me walking in. "Ah, Hagrid! The usual, I presume?"

"No thanks, Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business today." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Just helping young Reyna here buy her school supplies."

Tom looked shocked and awed as he stared at me. "Bless my soul," he said in an awed whisper, "it's Reyna Potter."

The pub goes silent. A man comes up to me and repeatedly shakes my right hand. "Welcome back, Miss. Potter, welcome back."

An old witch dressed in purple robes comes up and shakes my hand, as well. "Doris Crockford, Miss. Potter. I can't believe I'm meeting you at last." What is she talking about?

Then a pale man in light pink robes with a turban on his head appears. This man was known as Professor Quirrell. "Reyna P-potter. C-can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

Hagrid looks surprised and pleased to see him here. "Hello, Professor. I didn't see you there." To me he said, "Reyna, this is Professor Quirrell. He'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

Wow, so I've already met one of my teaches and learnt the names of one of my classes. I can't help but find it sound interesting. "Oh, nice to meet you." It should be good to make a good first impression so I put out my hand for him to shake. The strange thing was though that he refused to touch me.

"F-fearfully fascinating subject. N-not that you need it, e-eh, Potter?"

"Yes, well, must be going now. Lots to buy." Hagrid started leading me away.

"Good-bye." That was one weird teacher.

We leave into the back room of a pub that seems to be the winery. We stop in front of a brick wall.

"See, Reyna, you're famous!" Hagrid said happily.

"But why am I famous, Hagrid? All those people back there, how is it they know who I am?" I just don't understand what's going on here.

"I'm not exactly sure I'm the right person to tell you that, Reyna." He then brought out his umbrella and tapped the brick wall clockwise. The blocks shifted from the centre outwards and opened up to reveal a hidden, busy street; filled with what I presume to be witches and wizards.

"Welcome, Reyna, to Diagon Alley." I looked out in wonder at all the shops and everything they had to offer.

I grin broadly as we step into the street and walk down it. Further down I hear an owl screech. I turn around quickly and notice the brick wall closing up.

Hagrid kept pointing out different shops. "Here's where you'll get your quills and ink, and over there all your bits and bobs for doing your wizardry."

I'm just amazed as we pass by the shops and owls and bats. I wish I had more eyes then the two I've got. There was just so much to see.

As we walk by a shop I notice a fancy broom on display, where a group of boys are crowded around it. One of the boys exclaimed, "It's a world class racing broom. Look at it; it's the new Nimbus 2000! It's the fastest model yet." I think I'm going to really like the magical world.

"But Hagrid how am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money." I just now realised that. I've never been given money buy the Dursley's. I don't know how I'm going to get all of my school equipment.

He pointed up a head to a huge curvy white building that towered above all the others by far. "Well there's your money, Reyna. Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. T'aint no place safer, 'cept perhaps Hogwarts."

Before we enter the bank I notice to little strange creatures in a uniform of scarlet and gold guarding huge burnished bronze doors. I don't have a clue what they are. They were about a head shorter than me. They looked clever and despite being short it seems they have very thong fingers and feet. They bowed to us as we walked inside. Then we came up to silver doors this time with words engraved upon them:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those how take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Two more of those strange creatures bowed us through the doors.

Inside the bank, I saw a vast marble hall. More than a hundred of these creatures were now sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling who knows what down. Some were weighing coins in brass scales or examining precious stones through eyeglasses. I could see various people talking with these small beings, probably dealing with how much money they either want to take out of the bank or in.

"Hagrid, what exactly are those things?" It seems the best person to ask about these things would be Hagrid. I would like to think of Hagrid as my friend, and he will be my first ever friend, so I think he will answer me this, though he hasn't told me how my parents really died yet. That must be something I must ask him about soon.

"They're goblins, Reyna," he answered back in a serious tone. "Clever as they come goblins but not the most friendly of beasts. Best stick close to me." I inch a bit closer to him not just because he said for me to do it but with how he described these Goblins. This is my first sighting of magical creatures and they're apparently not the most friend or appealing. We made our way to a counter at the end of the row of counters. Hagrid cleared his throat as we stood in front of a terribly old looking Goblin. I had to crane my neck up to see him. "Miss. Reyna Potter wishes to make a withdrawal."

The goblin looks up from scribbling something. "And does Miss. Reyna Potter have her key?"

What, I don't have a key but then Hagrid spoke up. "Oh. Wait a minute. Got it here somewhere." He fished a tine detailed golden key out of one of his many pockets. "Hah. Here's the little devil." He put it down on the counter so the Goblin could see it. "Oh, and there's something else as well. Professor Dumbledore gave me this. It's about you-know-what in vault you-know-which," it seemed he was whispering this information. It must be important, especially if it's from my new Headmaster. He fishes out a letter wrapped in string and hands it over to the Goblin.

The Goblin looks up after reading the letter. "Very well. I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

This was yet another Goblin, which was really to be expected in a place run by them. We followed him as he led us toward one of the doors leading of the hall.

~RP~

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" I asked Hagrid. It seems he is proud of being the one Headmaster Dumbledore trusted with bringing this mysterious object to him.

"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Hogwarts business. Very secret."

Griphook held the door open for us and after we stepped through we found ourselves in a narrow stone passage way that was lit in flaming torches. I was surprised. I expected more marble, as a lot of the building seems to be made of it. I could see that it sloped steeply downwards and noticed that there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling at a fast speed towards us. We climbed in, though Hagrid had a little difficulty and we were off.

I think this is one of the things I'll remember for the rest of my life. It felt like the experience of flying on Hagrid's motorcycle. We sped down passages, twisting left right with, I think the desire for us to not remember the way. The cart was steering itself on its own I noticed when I saw that Griphook wasn't moving.

When the ride stopped Hagrid looked very green. "You alright Hagrid?"

"I'll be fine in a minute Reyna. Those things make me feel sick."

"Vault 687," said Griphook. This must be my vault. I couldn't wait to see what was inside. All my life I've never had a penny to my name.

While Hagrid leaned against the wall Griphook unlocked the door. Green smoke bellowed out of it and when it cleared my mouth dropped open at the sheer amount of money I could see: as inside there were mounts of gold coins, columns of silver and heaps of little bronze nuts.

"All yours," Hagrid smiled at my wonder. All mine. If the Dursley's had known about this then it would all be gone in seconds spent of their precious son Dudley. "Didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, now did ya?"

He took out a small dark purple bag and helped me load some of the coins in. He explained what each of them where. "The gold ones are Galleons, seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty nine Knuts to a Sickle. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms; we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He then turned to Griphook as I tightened the string in the bag and put it in my trouser pockets. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go a bit more slowly?"

"One speed only," was Griphook's reply. I don't understand Hagrid. He likes his motorcycle but not the cart ride? I love both.

We went down even deeper for the next vault. When we reached the vault I noticed it had no key hole. Well, how was Hagrid supposed to get whatever it was inside it then?

"Vault 713," Griphook announced. "Stand back." He walked up to the door and slid a finger down the door. Clank. Clank. The vault opened to expose a small grubby package. I was disappointed. I thought some rare jewels or something was going to be inside it. Hagrid hurried in and scooped it up. This eerie light that was shining on it disappeared as he did so.

"Best not mention this to anyone, Reyna."

I knew that as the happy-go-lucky giant said that, I knew this had to be taken seriously. So I nodded.

~RP~

Later on in the day we find me and Hagrid outside in the street, walking.

I was carrying all the things I'd bout so far which included all the clothes I'd need that I got tailored for in a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions: Three sets of plain work robes (black), One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear, One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide), One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings). There were also the course books that were from a shop called Flourish and Blotts: The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling, A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore, Magical drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble. And finally, there was any equipment I would need: 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2), 1 set glass or crystal phials, 1 Telescope, 1 set of Brass Scales. We also bought some parchment and ink. I watched in amazement as I found a bottle of ink that changed colour as you wrote. When we reached the Apothecary it was only the interesting ingredients like silver Unicorn horns or glittery black beetle eyes and the fact that Hagrid had asked for some basic potion ingredients for me that made it worth hanging around with the awful smell of something like bad eggs and rotten cabbages.

"I still need...a wand." This was the thing I had been looking most forward to though getting a pet was second on the list.

"A wand? Well, you'll want Ollivanders." He pointed out a dark narrow shop up ahead. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders; Makers of Fine Wands since 382b.c. "No place better. Run along there, but wait. I just got one more thing I got to do. Won't be long."

I go into the store quietly as I can and put my packages down on the counter. I look around to see there are shelves of wands in thin boxes right up to the ceiling, but no people.

I speak softly, aware that the air in here felt strange. "Hello? Hello?"

I heard a thunk which made me jump and look up to see a man appear on a ladder who looked and smiled at me. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Miss. Potter. It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands. Your mother Lilly, she had ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." He stared at me few a few seconds. I kind of wish he didn't. I thought those silver eyes of his were a bit creepy. "You father on the other hand favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, or witch, of course." Um I didn't know that, he says it as if I should. As if everyone should.

"Which is your wand arm?" he asked me.

How am I supposed to know that? I've never used a wand before, that's the whole point of why I'm here. He could mean which arm I write with I suppose. "Well, I'm right-handed."

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured me from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and round the head. And as he measured me he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss. Potter. We use Unicorn hairs, Phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of Dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two Unicorns, Dragons, or Phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Just then I realised that the tape measure was measuring me on it's as I saw Ollivander flitting around the shelves, looking at different wands. It was as he told it that it was enough that it crumpled to the floor.

"Ah. Here we are. Try this one. Beech-wood and Dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible." I hold it and stand in the same place. I don't know any magic. He hasn't told me what to do. "Well, give it a wave."

"Oh!" It was that simple was it? I wave the wand and all the shelves come crashing down. I jump, surprised and hurriedly put the wand back on the counter, knowing the wand wasn't for me.

"Apparently not." He gets another wand for me. "Perhaps this. Maple and Phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy." I didn't get a chance to wave it before it was snatched out of my hands. He didn't let me even try it. He got me another wand. "Ebony and Unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy." I waved my wand at a vase and it blew apart. "No, no, definitely not! No matter..." he goes further down one isle and stops. He takes out a box. "I wonder." He hurries back down to me, takes the wand out of the box. "Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

He hands it to me. As soon as he does I felt a sudden warmth in my fingers. I felt compelled to lift the wand above my head before I brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework. I somehow knew that this was the wand for me. "Curious, very curious."

"Sorry, but _what's_ curious?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss. Potter. It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand, gave one other feather, just one. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." He pointed to my scar. I can tell that he is very serious in his words. I swallow, noticing that my mouth suddenly feels dry. "Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew."

"And...who owned that wand?" I asked him, curious. Nobody has yet explained to me who killed my parents.

"Oh, we do not speak his name. The wand chooses the wizard, Miss. Potter. It's not always clear why, but I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great."

I shivered. I wasn't sure that I liked this old man too much. I paid seven gold Galleons and turned around when I heard knocking and a call of 'Reyna' on the front window. It was Hagrid, smiling happily at me. I looked down next to him and saw a beautiful Snowy Owl in a tall cage. "Reyna! Reyna! Happy birthday!" The Snowy Owl hoots.

"Wow." That Owl is just the best birthday present I have ever got. Well, the only one I've ever had. I decided to name her Hedwig.

~RP~

It was now the late tea time and after purchasing some supplies for Hedwig would find Hagrid and me eating chicken soup in the Leaky Cauldron. We decided to get ourselves a room for the night and then go catch the train for Hogwarts tomorrow which will be September 1st. I couldn't wait for school tomorrow but I was feeling down thinking about what happened earlier today.

We were sat at the beginning of a long table, and I wasn't feeling particularly hungry.

I was thinking about the person Ollivander called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I wasn't sure but I think he was the one who killed my parents even though Ollivander didn't actually say that.

"You all right, Reyna? You seem very quiet."

I wasn't sure. I mean, it was the best birthday I'd ever had in my enter life. I guess the only way to know for certain who killed my parents would be to ask Hagrid. "He killed my parents, didn't he? The one who gave me this," I pointed to my scar. "You know, Hagrid, I know you do."

Hagrid sighed and pushed his bowl away then leaned closer to me. "First, and understand this, Reyna, 'cause it's very important. Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. A few years ago there was one wizard who went as bad as you can go. And his name was V-...his name was V-..." Why can't people say his name? It is only a name after all. What is to be afraid of a name?

"Maybe if you wrote it down?" At least that way he won't have it say it.

"No, I can't spell it. All right. His name was Voldermort."

"Voldermort?" I almost shouted. What kind of name is that?

"Shh!" Hagrid hurriedly shushed me. I looked around to see if the few people who were here hadn't noticed my outburst. "This wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. It was dark times, Reyna, dark times. Didn't know who ter trust didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him and they ended up dead. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not just' then, anyway." This Headmaster Dumbledore and the school must be really powerful then, since it was enough to scare Voldermort.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the mystery is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real mystery of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it."

"Me…?" I ask in shock. "Voldermort tried to kill me?" How come he hadn't succeeded then? Not that I'm not grateful that he didn't kill me.

"Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead?" Of course I have. Who wouldn't? I knew it wasn't an ordinary cut; it would be pretty hard to make. "That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em." As Hagrid's story finished I remembered the green light I sometimes dreamed of clearer than any other time and heard a cool, cruel laugh.

"What happened to Vol-" I started to say his name but then remembered that Hagrid doesn't like saying it so I thought it would be politer to say "...to You-Know-Who?"

"Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Nope, I reckon he's out there, still, too tired to go on. But one thing's absolutely certain. Something about you stumped him that night. That's why you're famous, Reyna. That's why everybody knows your name. You're the Girl Who Lived."

Well, now I finally know what happened to my parents. I've learnt more about them in one day then in the whole time I've lived. I also know now why I'm famous. I don't think I'm going to like being famous when I get to school but hopefully I'll find some friends who will stick by me not because of my title but because of who I am. The thought of gaining friends at my new school cheered me up a bit.


	6. Chapter 6- The Hogwarts Express

Chapter six- The Hogwarts Express

The next day we travel to the London Train Station using Hagrid's motorbike. Up on a crossing bridge, I walked beside Hagrid while I pushed my cart that carried all my things in my trunk that Hagrid got me at Diagon Alley along with my owl.

A couple walking along the opposite way stare at Hagrid. Well, that's very rude. "What're you looking at?" Hagrid said in reply to them. He then looked at his watch and his face lit up in surprise. "Blimey, is that the time? Sorry, Reyna, I'm gonna have to leave you. "Dumbledore will be wanting his..." he was patting a hidden pocket near his chest that I presumed meant the package that I wasn't to speak about. "Well, he'll be wanting to see me. Now, uh, your train leaves in 10 minutes. Here's your ticket." He handed me a gold and red ticket that read '9 ¾: Hogwarts Express'. "That's very important Reyna. Stick to your ticket."

"Platform 9 ¾? But Hagrid, there must be a mistake. This says Platform 9 ¾. There's no such thing...is there?" I look up and Hagrid had just disappeared. No matter where I looked I couldn't see him. That was strange but I suppose it must be something that only witches and wizards can do.

~RP~

Three minutes later would find me walking down a lane between the platforms 9 and 10.

A man rushes by and bumps into me. "Sorry."

I then see a train master and decide to go see if he knows where platform 9 ¾ is. "Excuse me, excuse me."

He turns to me as he finished speaking with a blonde woman and her child. "Right on your left, ma'am."

"Excuse me, Sir. Can you tell me where I might find Platform 9 ¾?"

His eyebrow shot up in surprise. "9 ¾? Think you're being funny, do ya?" he asks me before he leaves. I am not being funny. I'm going to be late for the train.

Just then I spot a large family, a mother, a young girl holding her hand and four boys carrying carts with animal like me a long on the opposite side.

I caught a few words of what the mother, a rather plump woman who was called Mrs Molly Weasley said, "It's the same year after year. Always packed with Muggles, of course."

"Muggle?" I remember Hagrid calling the Dursley's Muggles. These people must be witches and wizards. They all had startling flaming red hair.

I decided to follow them and watch them as they stopped in front of the next platform between 9 and 10.

"Come on. Platform 9 ¾ this way! All right, Percy, you first." What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. I watched, careful not to blink in case I missed it and saw as he ran straight through the brick wall and vanished.

Wow, how was that possible?

"Fred, you next." Mrs Weasley was indicating one of two boys who I think were twins as they looked identical.

A twin, George said, "He's not Fred, I am!"

His twin Fred shook his head sadly while he said, "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother!"

Mrs. Weasley looked apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry, George."

The first boy that was called brought his cart in line with the wall. "I'm only joking. I am Fred." His mother looks frustrated. He runs through the wall, and is followed by his twin brother George.

I shake my head in disbelief. Just how is that possible? That was even weirder than the Diagon Alley entrance.

"Excuse me!" I called to the mother and she and the rest of her kids looked over to me. I drew my cart up level with theirs. "C-could you tell me how to…?" I didn't know how to describe what I just saw.

Luckily though it seemed Mrs Weasley knew what I was trying to say and kindly asked "how to get on the platform?" I nodded in reply. "Yes, not to worry, dear. It's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well." She indicates a tall gangly boy who smiled at me and is obviously my age and the youngest of the brothers. He had the same red hair as his family and had freckles dashed across his nose. Mrs Weasley put an arm around my shoulders and pointed to the wall where the three other bothers disappeared into. "Now, all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."

"Good luck," said the young girl. I smiled at her in reply. I was definitely nervous. I took a deep breath and ran at the wall. Just before I would have hit it I close my eyes and feel nothing as I travel through.

I emerge on the other side to see a magnificent station with a red train and bundles of people saying goodbye and children boarding the training. A whistle blows, and I breathe a sigh with relief. I look up to see a sign says Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.

The first few carriages were already packed with students: some were leaning out the window and saying goodbye to their families while others were busy squabbling over seats. I managed to find an empty compartment near the end of the train and loaded my trunk in an overhead compartment. A train staff member had already put Hedwig in with other animals.

I got myself comfy next to the window and while I waited for the train to move I saw the tearful and proud reactions of parents leaving their children. The tearful parents I noticed were with all the younger kids so presumably they were first years like me. Though it just served as I reminded that I was alone and that my parents were dead so they couldn't see me off to my first year at Hogwarts.

~RP~

A few minutes into the train ride and we're already travelling through unknown countryside. I look up when I hear a throat being cleared to see the red headed by, Ron, standing at the door to my compartment with slightly red cheeks and what I thought was a tiny bit of dirt on his nose.

"Excuse me, do you mind? Everywhere else is full."

"No, not at all." I was all to myself in this compartment. There was plenty of space.

He came to sit in front of me. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."

Maybe he could be my first friend. "I'm Reyna. Reyna Potter."

Ron's jaw drops. "So-so it's true?! I mean, do you really have the...the..."

"The what?" what was he trying to say?

He leans forward and whispers "Scar...?"

So that's what he was going on about. "Oh, yeah." I lift up a side parting that somewhat covers my scar if I don't push it out of the way.

"Wicked." I grinned in reply. "So that's where You-Know-Who…"

"Yes," I said, "but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" asked Ron eagerly.

"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." It's all I've ever been able to remember.

"Wow," said Ron.

"Are all your family wizards?" I asked him who I found just as interesting as Ron seemed to find me.

"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

"No, not really. I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

He certainly doesn't want to know but I told him anyway. "Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers." They'd be able to teach me all they know.

"Five," said Ron, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." I feel sorry for Ron, having to live up to all the expectations. In fact, I think I'll probably have some expectations as well being the Girl Who Lived, so we were the same. Ron and I.

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep. "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink and he seemed to think he'd said too much as he went to stare out of the window.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, I'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and I told Ron that. All I'd ever owned having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. I'm glad it seemed to cheer Ron up.

"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldermort."

Ron gasped.

"What?" I asked him. What was so shocking?

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. Oh, so that's what it was. "I'd have thought you, of all people…"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," I replied. I've never met the man so I have no reason to fear him and even if I did I don't know what there is to fear. "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," I added. I voiced something that had been worrying me a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class." It's probably true since I've never learnt or done any magic."

"You won't be," Ron reassured me. "There are loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quickly enough."

We stared out of the window for a while and around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. I found I was quite hungry and was wondering what sweets they'd have. For you see, I'd never had them before.

I asked her what she had and she listed Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and a number of other strange things I'd never heard or seen in my life.

I didn't want to miss anything so I got a bit of everything and it cost me eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.

Ron stared at my pile of sweets that I poured onto the empty seat next to me. "Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," I replied before taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"Go on, have a pasty," I said, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron; eating our way through all of my pasties, cakes, and candies. I probably couldn't eat them all any way. Ron moved to sit next to the door on my side so we could share the sweets. Ron's sandwiches lay forgotten.

"What are these?" I asked Ron while holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" They can't be.

"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is."

"What?" What card?

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." Don't know who those people are. I un-wrapped my Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So this is Dumbledore!" I said, he smiled warmly at me. Hagrid speaks highly of him but I've never seen a picture of him.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks."

"I've heard of him but never seen him before," I told Ron before I turned over my card and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flammel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

I turned the card back over and saw, to my astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."

"Sure," he passed me the card before his eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. "Help yourself, but in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."

"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"

Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but I couldn't keep my eyes off them. Soon I had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. I finally tore my eyes of them to open a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned me as he saw me opening them. "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger- flavoured one once."

Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. "Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts." Uh, those I hate.

We had a good time eating the Every Flavour Beans. I got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end of a funny grey one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.

~RP~

The countryside was now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers and dark green hills.

Ron's rat, Scabbers, is perched on Ron's knee, a box over its head. Scabbers squeaked. "He's pitiful, isn't he?" Ron asked me, referring to Scabbers.

"Just a little bit," I shrugged. He was quite lazy.

"Fred gave me a spell as to turn him yellow. Want to see?"

"Yeah!" This will be my first sighting of magic, a spell.

Ron got out a battered looking wand and cleared his throat, "Ahem. Sunshine daisies…"

He was interrupted when a girl, Hermione Granger, who looked to be mime and Ron's age with bushy brown hair, a bossy sort of voice, and rather large front teeth, appeared at the doorway. "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."

"No," Ron shook his head.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."

Ron cleared his throat out again and started waving his wand over the rat. "Aghhhemm. Sunshine, daises, butter mellow; turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" A spark comes out of his wand but nothing happens. Ron shrugs at me.

Hermione looked distinctly unimpressed. "Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course I've only tried a few simple spells myself, and they've all worked for me. For example..." Hermione went over and sat across from me. She pointed her wand at my face. I tensed. I sure hope she wasn't going to hurt me. "Oculus Reparo," she spoke slowly and clearly. I took my glasses off when noticed a spark sly at them and noticed that the noseband of my glasses that were quite broken was repaired and they looked brand new. I put them back on amazed. I've wanted new glasses for a while but as usual the Dursley's won't buy me anything. "That's better, isn't it? Holy Cricket, you're Reyna Potter." She must have noticed my scar like Ron did. "I'm Hermione Granger...and you are...?" she looked disdainfully at Ron.

"I'm...Ron Weasley." He replied with a mouth of sweets.

"Pleasure," though it didn't seem to be. "You two better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon." She gets up to leave but then comes back and looks at Ron. "You've got dirt, on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there." She rubs where the dirt is on her own nose and Ron scratches his nose, embarrassed.

I don't think I really like Hermione Granger at the moment but I think I've made a definite friend out of Ron today.

When it started to turn dark me and Ron put our school robes. He puts his on first and then waits outside while I put mine on.


	7. Chapter 7- The Sorting

Chapter seven- The Sorting

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time.

Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

My stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, I saw, looked pale under his freckles. We crammed our pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. I shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and I heard a familiar and welcomed voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Reyna?" Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"Hey, Hagrid," It was good to see him again.

"Whoa!" Ron mustn't have ever seen a picture of Hagrid then.

"Right then. This way to the boats! Come on, now, follow me." Hagrid ordered all the first years who had gathered behind us.

We followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that I thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "oooooh!" full of excited voices.

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. It was so beautiful in the dark, though I didn't realise it would be so big.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Ron and I were followed into a boat by Neville and Hermione that ended up being near Hagrid's at the front. Hagrid's boat only had him in it with his enormous giant's body filled the space..

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then… forward!" He ordered to seemingly no one. And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.

Everyone was silent, staring up in awe at the great castle overhead. It towered over us as we sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff; we all bent their heads and the little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle, until we reached a kind of underground harbour, where we clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Then we clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursley's' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

Hagrid pointed out an open doorway to our right and told us to walk up the stars.

On the first level, Professor McGonagall was waiting. She wrapped her fingers on a stone railing, and then went to the top of the stairs to greet the newcomers.

We all gathered below her, feeling slightly squished.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup…"

She was interrupted by Neville Longbottom, a scared looking boy, who had spotted his toad sitting near McGonagall. He jumps forward and the toad hops on his open hands. "Trevor."

McGonagall stared down at him. "Sorry," he backed away as a few people sniggered.

"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily," she informed us before she left.

"It's true then," I turn to my left to see a boy with blonde slicked back hair grinning and it looked like he was backed up by two overweight young boys. "What they're saying on the train. Reyna Potter has come to Hogwarts." This causes the other kids to start whispering 'Reyna Potter'. He comes to stand in front of me. "This is Crabbe, and Goyle," he nods to each boy respectfully, "and I'm Malfoy...Draco Malfoy." Ron snickered at his name and Malfoy turned sharply to him. "Think my name's funny, do you?" he sneered. "No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand me down robe? You must be a Weasley." Hey, nobody hurts my new friend. I already don't like him. "You'll soon find that some Wizarding families are better than others, Potter. Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort," here he looks at Ron. "I can help you there," and he extended a hand toward me.

I looked down at it before looking back up at him. I don't care if I was making an enemy on my very first day. I do not want to be friends with him so I said, "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."

Malfoy glared but before he could say anything more Professor McGonagall appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with a scroll of paper. He retreated back to where he was before but not without one last glare at us.

"We're ready for you now. Form a line." I got behind a sandy haired boy with Ron behind me. She led everyone through two large doors and into the Great Hall. One of the first things I noticed with the thousand of floating candles hanging a few metres above some tables. There are four long tables with the rest of the kids were sitting. One long table was in front of them where the teachers were sat in a raised platform. The tables were all laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. The roof appeared to be the night sky: a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

I heard Hermione say, "It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Even if it is bewitched it is still amazing.

"All right, will you wait along here, please?" I noticed Hagrid sitting along with the teachers on my right. He smiled when he saw me looking at him. I must admit I was a little nervous about which house I get put into. "Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

She turned as an old man, the same man as the man on my chocolate frog card wearing dark purple robes and a burgundy pointy hat stood up. "I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students." Ooh, a Forbidden forest. I wonder what's in there that we aren't allowed to see. "Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch," he signalled down at the end of the hall to ragged old man with a cat with red eyes, "has asked me to remind you that the 3rd floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." To everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death? Well, no one wants to die that way but why should we have to worry about what's on the 3rd floor corridor.

I then noticed that everyone was then staring at the hat and saw a rip appeared like a mouth. It started to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuff are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of whit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a thinking cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause. Well, that's certainly the first time I've ever heard a hat sing. I'm quite nervous now. I don't think I'm any of the things the hat said about each house.

When it died down Professor McGonagall spoke up. "When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Hannah Abbott!"

A pink faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line. When the hat was put on her head it seemed to be too big for her as it slid over her eyes a bit. "Hufflepuff," the hat shouted.

"Susan bones," this time it was a dark red headed girl.

"Hufflepuff," the hat shouted again.

"Terry Boot."

"Ravenclaw!" he went to sit down at the table second on the left.

Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw too.

Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

Millicent Bullstrode become a Slytherin.

Justin Finch-Fletchley became Hufflepuff.

Seamus Finnigan became a Gryffindor.

"Hermione Granger."

As she walked up I heard her say to herself, "Oh, no. Okay, relax."

"Mental that one, I'm telling you." I nodded in agreement with Ron.

"Ah, right then...hmm...right. Okay...Gryffindor!"

Ron groaned.

Hermione jumped off with a smile.

"Draco Malfoy."

Malfoy sauntered up proudly. The tattered hat nearly freaks before touching down on Malfoy's head. "Slytherin!" it said it before the hat had barely touched his head. Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle.

"There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin," Ron tells me.

I looked around and spotted a shoulder length black haired, pale teacher, who was Professor Severus Snape, looking at me. This made my scar hurt. "Ahh!" I put a hand on my forehead.

"Reyna, what is it?" Ron asks me, concerned.

"Nothing...it's nothing, I'm fine." It's gone now. That's never happened before. I wonder why it did, though I've got I bad feeling about him, like he's someone can't trust. So I don't think I will.

"Ronald Weasley."

Ron gulped and walked up. He sat down slowly and the hat was put on him.

"Ah!" that made Ron jump. "Another Weasley. I know just where to put you...Gryffindor!"

Ron sighs. He looked happy. I'm pleased he was with his family.

"Reyna Potter." Everyone went silent. I walk up and sit down.

"Hmm...Difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?"

I whisper, "Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin." I do not want to be with Draco Malfoy.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" That made me cringe. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness! There's no doubt about that! No?" I whisper 'Not Slytherin...anything but Slytherin' while the hat carries on. "Well, if you're sure...better be...Gryffindor!"

Yes, I was pleased with that. And if nothing else my new friend Ron is in that house along with his family.

An immense cheering broke out and as I reached my new table I got clapped on the back and had to shake many hands. I didn't mind. I was happy.

I heard the Weasley twins yell, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

As I looked up at the High table Hagrid caught my eye. He smiled and gave me thumbs up. I grinned in reply. I also saw Dumbledore raise a goblet towards me with a smile on his face.

As everyone settles down, Professor McGonagall taps a small spoon against a glass cup. "Your attention, please."

Headmaster Dumbledore stood up as she sat back down. "Let the feast...begin."

Food magically appears on all the tables, and the hall is filled straight away with awe and chatter.

"Wow." My mouth fell open. The dishes in front of me were now piled with food. I had never seen so many things I liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup.

The Dursley's had never exactly starved me but I didn't get to eat not nearly as much as I would like too.

Draco Malfoy looked at all the food, raised his eyebrow and dug in.

I looked to my right to see Ron stuffing his face.

A tiny boy with dark brown hair, Seamus Finnigan spoke up to the people on either side of him. "I'm half and half. My dad's a Muggle. Mama's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." Everyone laughed in reply.

Ron asked Neville, "What about you Neville?"

"Well, my Gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

When I looked over at the teacher's table again I saw Professor Quirrell talking with a man with the pale teacher who made my scar hurt.

When I notice that Percy has stopped talking to Hermione about classes I ask him, "Say, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"

"Oh, that's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin house."

"What's he teach?"

"Potions but everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrell's job for years." I wonder why he hasn't been able to have it. Probably because he isn't good enough at it to qualify for the role.

Ron had just finished a chicken wing when he reached into the bowl for more and a ghostly head, Sir Nicholas, popped out of it. "Ahh!"

"Hello! How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor."

The numerous other ghosts came pouring out from the walls, sailing along in the room. Some of them were going and staying at different tables: travelling up and down them and not necessarily on top of them either.

The Hufflepuff Ghost went flying up and down his table. "Whoo-hoo-hoo!"

A girl pointed out that it was the Bloody Baron.

Percy said to the ghost that was still in front of us, "Hello, Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?"

Sir Nicholas who had begun to leave spun round to face Percy. "Dismal. Once again, my request to join the headless hunt has been denied."

"Hey, I know you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron said.

Sir Nicholas looked annoyed. "I prefer Sir Nicholas if you don't mind."

"Nearly headless?" Hermione asked him. "How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this." He grabbed his head and pulled it to the side. His head is hanging on just by a thread showing all the bloody galore beneath.

"Ahh!" said Ron.

"Eugh." Hermione and I gladly looked away from the sight. I didn't really want to see that again.

~RP~

After we finished eating, Percy, as he was a prefect of my new House led all the Gryffindor first years to the staircase outside the Great Hall. "Gryffindors, follow me please. Keep up. Thank you."

I heard another boy say, "Ravenclaw, follow me. This way."

Percy was standing at the bottom of the staircase that was leading up. "This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases...they like to change."

I look up and see a vast amount of staircases, people walking on them, and some of them changing directions. I had never seen anything like this. I think I was going to be amazed quite a lot this year.

"Keep up, please, and follow me. Quickly now, come on. Come on." We begin walking up the stairs and I notice thousands of pictures on the walls. They were moving!

Neville pointed out to Seamus, "Seamus, that picture's moving!"

Ron pointed to me a young woman in a wedding dress "Look at that one, Reyna!"

She curtsied to us and smiled at Ron. "I think she fancies you," I said to him.

"Oh, look! Look! Who's that girl?" another girl pointed her out as well.

A man in a painting smiled at us, "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Who's that?" that same girl questioned. How was I supposed to know?

~RP~

As we approach the Gryffindor dorms after a long tiring walk we come up to a large painting of a large woman in a pink dress. She was quite overweight, had pale skin, blue eyes and dark brown hair that was stilled in perfect ringlets down to her shoulders.

"Password?" she asked Percy.

He answered with a clear voice, "Caput Draconis." The woman nodded and the painting opened to reveal a gap in the wall. "Follow me, everyone. Keep up, quickly, come on."

"Oh, wow." That was the same girl who pointed out annoying questions on the way up but this time I agreed with her.

"Gather 'round here. Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Boys' dormitories, upstairs and down to your left. Girls, the same on your right. You'll find that your belongings have already been brought up."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow here Reyna," Ron said to me.

"Yeah, sure, Goodnight Ron."

~RP~

It is now mid-night. I was sitting by a window in my pj's, while stroking my owl, Hedwig. There were four beds: they had dark red drapes so you could have some privacy, the bed covers were red while the pillows were gold. There was one bathroom that was large enough for us all to share. There was a table with a candle next to each of our beds along with a chest of draws. I put my clothes in their but kept all my books and anything else I bought in my trunk that I kept underneath at the foot of my bed. I would get out all the books I needed tomorrow once I've been given my timetable at breakfast. The girls in my dorm were Hermione Granger who got the bed closest to the door and was the farthest away from the bathroom. There was also Lavender Brown who chose the bed closest to the bathroom and Pavarti Patil, one of the Patil twins (the other went into Ravenclaw), was between Lavender Brown and myself.

As I looked out the window, not that I could see much except for the vague shape of the Dark Forest, I sighed with contentment. I was very pleased with the turns my life had taken this day: the friend I made, learning I had magic and learning about my parents.


	8. Chapter 8- First week of classes

Chapter eight- First week of classes

The next morning when I woke up in darkness I had to pinch myself that this was real, that I was actually at Hogwarts but when I parted the curtain around my four poster bed and looked around and saw only Hermione was awake and dressed I knew it was real. She was trying to get Lavender and Pavarti to wake up once she saw that I was awake.

"Come on, you guys have to wake up. We've got lot's to do today."

They both just groaned. "What time is it, Granger?" Pavarti mumbled as her face was pressed against her pillow.

"Seven o'clock in the morning."

They both groaned again and put a pillow over their heads in perfect synchronisation. I could tell they were going to be the best of friends.

Last night I could tell they were the sort of girls who liked to gossip and giggle and so I thought they might have questioned me seeing as I had just found out I was the famous Reyna Potter, but it seemed they were all too tired and went to sleep straight away, well Hermione did read a few chapters of a book called 'Hogwarts: A History', while I stayed up thinking till midnight. I got changed and went with Hermione downstairs to the Common Room to see only Percy and a few seventh years up. Hermione went to one of the tables and carried on reading the book she was reading last night while I sat by the fire on one of the few faded red sofas that was no longer lighted while I waited for Ron so we could both make our way to breakfast together.

~RP~

Ron came down the stairs yawning and before we exited the common room Percy told us the password word was still the same and the portrait that guards our house was called the Fat Lady. As we made our way to breakfast we sat across from Neville and saw Professor McGonagall already giving out our timetables.

"What have you got first Reyna?" Ron asked me after we had both been given ours.

"I've got Double Defence against the Dark Arts."

"Same," it seemed me and Ron had the exact same timetable that was good. At least I would have one friend and person that I knew in my classes with me.

The classroom was usually taught in room 3c but as it was on the third floor corridor it had to be relocated. The room Professor Quirrell now used had an iron chandelier that hung from the ceiling, as well as a dragon's skeleton. On one end of the classroom stands a projector that was activated by magic. Several desks and tables were spread around the classroom as well as some sets of large windows.

In that lesson we started to learn the theory behind Werewolves and Werewolf bites using the book. Next lesson we were looking at how to cure Werewolf bites and for homework for the next lesson we have to write an eight in report on how to cure a Werewolf bite.

We then had a free period where Ron and I either explored the castle a bit or Ron taught me how to play Wizards Chess, which was basicically the same as Muggle chess except the pieces moved and destroyed on their own. Ron was really good at it as when we started playing he won every round.

Our next lesson was after lunch where we had Double History of Magic with Professor Cuthbert Binns who was actually a ghost. He had the most boring voice I'd ever heard in my life. It was taught in classroom 4f on the first floor. We learnt, or rather Professor Binns lectured the beginnings of the history behind the Gargoyle Strike of 1911. Most of us, including Ron and I fell asleep for the whole double period and the ghost didn't even notice. It seemed only Hermione was paying any attention and was the only one writing down millions of notes.

Our final class of the day was Herbology. This was taught by a lovely short woman by the name of Professor Pomona Sprout in classroom 102, three times a day we would go behind the school to look inside the school's greenhouses which were located behind the two main Bell towers of the castle. We learnt about what devils snare was and in the next lesson we would be practicing the fire making spell or charm to help destroy the Devil's Snare that was growing in one of the green houses. It seemed that Neville had an aptitude for Herbology which, so far, seemed to be one of the few thing he was good at as he wasn't a very confident boy neither did he seem talented at anything, unless he just had a difficulty showing it.

~RP~

On Tuesday morning we had Transfiguration first. Ron and I got lost trying to find the classroom. We finally find the classroom 1b on the ground floor that was located around the Middle courtyard. The classroom was huge, surrounded by big windows, had four rows of three desks that were for two people and had enough extra room for several cages and bookshelves, two chalkboards and a desk for Professor McGonagall who was our Transfiguration teacher.

We rushed in the classroom and noticed a tabby cat sitting on the teacher's desk that was staring at us while we caught our breath back.

"Whew, amazing," Ron remarked. "Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?"

The cat suddenly jumped off the desk and turned into Professor McGonagall.

That was amazing. I wish I could do that.

It seemed Ron shared my sentiments exactly. "That was bloody brilliant."

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Maybe if I were to transfigure Miss. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch, maybe one of you would be on time."

"We got lost," I tried to defend ourselves but I knew it was a lame excuse.

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats."

Our seats were right at the very front of the classroom and we had the wooden desk in the middle row (there were three rows going across).

For some reason in our first lesson right had to right down the Alphabet and copy the Latin translation on the board in front of us. We later learned that we would have to memorise it and learn to copy down notes in Latin. Great.

Our next lesson was Charms in classroom 2e on the third floor on the charms corridor. Our Professor was a very small, old man that had to stand on a pile of books so he could look us all in the eye clearly. He was called Fillius Flitwick and apparently his expertise with charm work causes him to be a good duelling companion. The classroom that we were in had three rows of desk, one higher than the other, on opposite sides of the classroom.

In the class we learnt about the Levitation charm, the ability to make objects fly. By the end of the month we should be able to put the spell and wand movements together and practice it on a feather.

Our last class before lunch was History of Magic again and Professor Bins lectured on about the Gargoyle Strike of 1911 where we had to take down notes, or rather Hermione took down notes (she seemed to be the only one to resist his monotone voice) on the during the main piece of this history.

~RP~

On Wednesday morning we had Defence against the Dark Arts lesson we leant about the history of Gnomes and the problems they caused, especially in the garden. Ron told me he had a lot of Gnomes in his garden.

At lunch time in the great hall everyone was working on their homework.

Seamus Finnegan was trying a spell on a cup in noticed, "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum." He looked in the cup and shook his head. "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..."

I decided to ask Ron what Seamus was doing. I didn't have a clue. It didn't help that the spell didn't make sense. "What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?"

"Turn it into rum. Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before..."

A huge bang sounded throughout the great hall as the cup exploded. The students around us who saw what happened laughed. I've got to admit that it was extremely funny, especially Seamus's face which is now blackened by soot.

Suddenly, a flock of owls start coming into the hall from the rafters above. "Ah. Mail's here!" And the mail did arrive. Each owl gave their charge to the students dropping them from great heights thought the students managed to catch them.

Well, it's definitely certain I won't get any mail. I won't get any from my parents as they are dead and I certainly won't get any from the Dursley's. They hate me rather love as a family should, though I certainly do not count them as part of my family. I only live with them because I have nowhere else to go.

I see the newspaper that Ron has put down beside him. "Can I borrow this?" I ask him. Ron just nods; he was reading a letter from his family. I remember his mother as the very nice, warm woman who helped me when I needed to know how to get across the platform and the little girl who wished me luck. Without the mother's help I wouldn't have made it to Hogwarts and now I can't imagine how my life could have turned without it. "Thanks."

A few feet further down the table Neville is unwrapping his gift. It is a clear ball with a gold band around it.

"Hey, look!" Seamus says to those around him and nods towards Neville's gift. "Neville's got a Remembrall!"

"I've read about those," Hermione told us, though I'm not surprised that she's read about them. She seems to know about everything. "When the smoke turns red," the smoke turned red as she said it, "it means you've forgotten something."

Neville replied in a worried voice, "The only problem is I can't remember what I've forgotten." Well, it was obvious he couldn't remember what he'd forgotten otherwise he wouldn't have forgotten it.

I looked back at the front page of wizards' kind very own newspaper, The Daily Prophet. I nudged Ron so he could see what I found really interesting. "Hey, Ron, somebody broke into Gringotts. Listen, believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to."

It seemed Hermione had also heard that piece of information as she was sitting in front of us looking at us suspiciously. I now really wonder what Hagrid could have possibly got from that vault that even the Goblin's protect the secret of what that object was. My curiosity was certainly peaked.

After lunch, we had a Herbology lesson and went one of the greenhouses with a lot more dangerous plants to where the Devil's Snare was growing so we could practice the fire making spell. Its incantation was 'incendio' and I got Gryffindor 10 points for being able to pronounce it perfectly and perform it well on my first go. It seems that I work well with fire.

At 3:30 it was my first ever flying lesson. It was the lesson I was most looking forward to ever since I flew on the back of Hagrid's motorcycle. I just loved the feeling of being in the air, it made me feel free. We had to go to the Quidditch changing rooms and change into our Quidditch Uniform.

Even though first years weren't allowed their own broom or to have a chance to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team these uniforms were what they would have worn.

The Gryffindor Uniform colour was a scarlet red with our emblem being a Griffin.

Slytherin's wore a dark emerald green with their emblem as a Snake.

Ravenclaw's wore a dark blue with the emblem of an Eagle.

Hufflepuff wore a dull yellow with the emblem of a Badger.

They basically wore the colours of their houses and each House had an animal to represent them and their Founder.

We all picked up a broom and got into two lines facing each other with our brooms on the ground on the right of us. We were located near the edge of the Hogwarts on what was called the training grounds and we were waiting for our instructor Madam Rolanda Hooch.

When she came she wasn't a terribly tall woman, she was wearing the normal black and white uniform, had blue eyes and dark blonde short spiky hair.

"Good afternoon, class," She walks though the middle till she reaches the other side and turns around to face us.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," every replied at the same time.

"Good afternoon, Amanda, good afternoon." To the class she says, "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, up!"

All of the class says "Up!"

When I say 'Up' my broom immediately flies into my hand. It was so sudden it made me sway a bit. I can't believe it worked that fast. "Whoa." Brooms really do fly.

Though I didn't notice it but Hermione stared at me in disbelief while the class kept on repeating up.

Draco also manages to get it on his first go. "Up!" The broomstick flies up into his outstretched hand and Draco grins smugly.

Hooch, when she saw not many students with their broom in the air beside them ordered, "With feeling!"

"Up. Up. Up. Up." That was Hermione, who was standing on my left; it seemed in this class she has some trouble as she can't get her broom up.

I noticed Ron, on my right having difficulty as well. I saw that he was quickly growing frustrated and with that emotion in his voice he said "Up!" His broom flies up and humps him on the nose. "Ow!" I laughed at that. That was really funny. "Shut up, Reyna." I just laughed again.

In the end the whole class managed to get their brooms into the air.

Madame Hooch started to walk down the middle of our two rows. "Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end." The whole class mounts their broom. It was getting to the even more exciting part now. I can't wait to see what it's like to be flying. "When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...3...2..." she blows her whistle that was hanging around her neck.

Neville, who was nervous about being left behind, immediately lifts off. He looked very frightened as it looked like he couldn't control his broom. "Oh..."

Hooch called, "Mr. Longbottom."

A girl asked, "Neville, what are you doing?"

Other students began to call him as he went higher off the ground, "Neville...Neville..."

Neville then begins soaring away. "M-M-Mr. Longbottom. Mr. Longbottom!" Madame Hooch tries to call for him in vain.

"Ahh!" Neville screamed.

"Mr. Longbottom!"

"Neville!" I shout. What was he doing? He could get killed.

"Help!" Neville screams.

"Come back down this instant!" Hooch orders him. He would have come down by now of he could and I can tell he wants to.

He soared through the sky shakily before he hit a wall three times on both ends of his broom. He can't stop screaming. He then begins to zoom back towards us.

Hooch holds out her wand to stop him. "Mr. Longbottom!" Neville approached fast, we all scattered out of the way and he headed for Madame Hooch who dived out of the way in time. The students scatter and Hooch dives out of the way.

Neville goes up a tower. "Ahh! Whoa! Ahh!" He zoomed past a statue of a man with a sharp spear but Neville's cloak latched on it. He is flipped off his broom and hangs there on the spear by his cloak that looks like it's about to rip. "Help!" He wavers and then the cloak rips causing him to fall. He catches himself on a torch and then falls to the ground with a thud, "Ahh!"

We started to head over to him but Madame Hooch ordered us out of the way. "Come on, get up," she says to Neville.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked Ron and me. He doesn't look alright.

Neville complained when Madame Hooch lifted his left arm. "Ow, ow, ow, ow."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh dear. It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get."

I didn't see Draco reach down and grab Neville's Remembrall, which had fallen when he took flight. Hooch began to lead Neville away with her. "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understood? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, Quidditch." They both exit the training grounds.

Draco snickered after they'd both entered the castle. "Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat ass." He and his gang of quickly formed bullies laughed.

I couldn't stand up to Dudley and his gang but this time I can stand up to Malfoy. "Give it here, Malfoy." It wasn't his to take. It belonged to Neville.

He turned to me. "No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." He hopped on broom and soared effortlessly around group, then went through it. "How 'bout up on the roof?" He soared off and hovered high in the sky. "What's the matter, Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

I glared at him, of course it wasn't. I grabbed my broom and got on it but before I could fly Hermione stopped me. "Reyna, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said! Besides, you don't even know how to fly." I was going to show how wrong she was. I flew off. "What an idiot."

I level my broom so it is now level in front of Draco. "Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off your broom!"

"Is that so?"

I will do it. I make a dash for him, but Draco twirls around his broom in a 360 degree circle. He turns his head back to face me. "Have it your way, then!" He throws the Remembrall into the air.

I was not going to lose Neville's Remembrall. I was going to get it back to Neville. He deserves that after being tossed around in the air and falling to the ground from a great height. He wasn't here to defend himself or his gift so I would.

Before I totally understand what I'm doing I'm already flying off after the ball. To me this just felt natural. I loved it. I speed towards a tower and just as I am about to hit a window, that is actually where McGonagall is working watching me in surprise, I catch the ball. I do spin a little bit and the broom drops a bit when I pass the ball into my other hand. I then carefully head back to where I can see the rest of my class is watching me.

As I near them they start to cheer and run towards me. I feel pleased with what I just did. I'd never done a thing like that before. It was a great feeling. Oh, and the flying. That was just brilliant and amazing. Oh, how glad was I that I accepted my Hogwarts letter and that Hagrid came into my life. Without him I wouldn't be here today. I must make sure that I visit Hagrid whenever I have any free periods/time.

Everyone was saying congratulations and was patting me on the back.

"Good job, Reyna!" one boy said.

"Oh that was wicked, Reyna." Another boy said. It was quite impressive wasn't it? I mean, that was my first time flying a broom and it felt so natural. I think it was by far my most favourite subject.

I only saw McGonagall approaching us when she called for me. "Reyna Potter? Follow me." I sullenly follow her, just knowing I was going to be in a lot of trouble for that, I might even get expelled. Draco and his gang laughed behind me as I went.

Let's just say that I notice we were soon heading to Professor Quirrell's classroom. That was strange. I would have thought we would have headed to the Headmaster or I might have at least got a detention.

Professor Quirrell was inside, teaching, while holding an iguana. "An iguana s-such as this is," he was saying.

McGonagall approaches the class and stops me from entering. "You wait here."

"...an essential ingredient..."

"Excuse me, excuse me, Professor Quirrell. Could I borrow Wood for a moment, please?"

"Oh. Y-yes, of course." He definitely looked surprised.

A young boy, Oliver Wood stood up and walked towards us as Professor Quirrell continued. Oliver was a tall boy, with dark brown eyes and short dark brown hair. He looked confused as to why McGonagall called for him.

McGonagall was actually smiling. I've never seen her smile before. "Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood, I have found you a Seeker!"

Now, he seemed to share McGonagall's excitement. "Reyna, tomorrow I'll tell you what you need to know about Quidditch and know that we practice at the Quidditch grounds at 7pm on a Monday, Tuesday and Friday." He said with a big smile to Professor McGonagall, "We can finally have a better chance at winning this year."

Wait, hang on? Did I even want to join? I didn't even know what Quidditch was.

Later on Ron and I were walking through crowded halls when Sir Nicholas and a lady ghost float by.

"Have you heard? Reyna Potter's the new Gryffindor Seeker. I always knew she'd do well."

"Seeker?" Ron asked me in astonishment. I'd just told him what McGonagall had done. "But first years never make their house teams! You must be the youngest Quidditch player in..."

"A century, according to McGonagall."

Fred and George approach and walk with us.

Fred congratulated me, "Hey, well done, Reyna, Wood's just told us!"

"Fred and George are on the team, too. Beaters," Ron explained when he saw my look of confusion.

Then George said, "Our job is to make sure that _you_ don't get bloodied up too bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch."

"Brutal. But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally..." Fred joked before they both carried on walking down the corridor while we walk across a courtyard.

"But they'll turn up in a month or two!" the both shouted over to me.

That's really not helping to persuade me. I don't want to spend all of my time here at Hogwarts in the Hospital Wing.

"Oh, go on, Reyna," Ron encouraged me. "Quidditch is great. Best game there is! And you'll be great, too!""

I didn't notice Hermione jumping up from her work and coming to join us.

"But I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?" I've already got fame, which I don't want, to my name. I don't want anything else to make me stand out.

"You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood," how can Hermione know that? I know she hasn't tested my blood.

After few minutes we approach a trophy case. Hermione points to a plaque of Quidditch players. One lists my father, James Potter, as a Seeker.

"Whoa. Reyna, you never told me your father was a Seeker, too."

"I-I didn't know." And I didn't. I hardly know anything about my parents except what type of wand they had and how they died. But I think seeing my father there, even if it's just on a shield, it's persuaded me to be the Gryffindor Seeker. I did really enjoy flying when I was up in the air and I want to make my father proud of me.

We headed back to the Moving staircase and started walking up to go to our common room as apart from Astronomy, that will be taken at midnight tonight at the top of the Astronomy Tower, we were done with classes for the day.

"I'm telling you," Ron spoke to me, "It's spooky. She knows more about you then you do."

I did find it very odd. We've only been here for three days. "Who doesn't?" I replied back to him. It seems at least everyone knows either something about me or my parents when I don't know anything.

The staircase that we were on suddenly moved. "What's happening?" I asked Ron and Hermione behind me.

"The staircases change, remember?" Hermione reminded us. I forgot about that. I was still thinking about my father and Quidditch, plus the staircases we've been on haven't moved so far.

We waited till the staircase finished moving. "Let's go this way," I said to the other two with me, pointing to ahead of us.

"Before the staircase moves again," Ron agreed nervously. We opened the door ahead of us and went in. We found ourselves in a darkened corridor with only a few weird statues inside.

"Does anyone feel like," Ron began, "we shouldn't be here?" It did feel a bit spooky.

It seems Hermione agreed with Ron. "That's because we're not supposed to be here, this is the third floor."

Ah, well, I certainly don't want to be found here. I can only see so far ahead of me. I don't really want to see what this corridor may hold or lead off to. "Let's go," I ordered the others. Besides I don't want to get caught and get expelled when I've only just arrived at Hogwarts. Before we could turn around a torches that was next to the door blazed to life and we saw Mrs Norris, Filch's cat come in through the doorway to stare at us. "Filch's cat. Quick let's go."

We ran as fast as we could going right along the corridor till we reached a door. We knew Filch wouldn't be far behind his cat and he wasn't. He came in, shining a lamp in the dark so he could see. "Anyone here, my sweet?" he asked to the now empty corridor. "Come on," he said to Mrs Norris.

Ron tried opening the door. "It's locked. Now what are we going to do?"

"Oh, move over," Hermione ordered. She brought out her wand and pointed it at the lock while she whispered, "Alohomora, get in."

I went in first and I wish I didn't.

I heard Ron continue talking to Hermione behind me. "Alohomora?" he questioned her.

"Standard book of spells, chapter seven," she replied.

"He thinks this door was locked," Ron said, referring to Filch who had now gone.

"It was locked."

It seems they still hadn't seen what was in front of them. It was making me feel very, very scared. I decided to draw their attention to it. "And for good reason."

It was a grey, huge three headed dog. It was growling at us. It was one of the scariest things I've seen in my life. It seemed the other two behind me agreed as we all screamed and quickly exited the room, relocking it on our way out. We didn't stop running till we reached our Common room and headed up to our rooms.

"What do they think they were doing?" Ron complained. "Hiding a thing like that, locked up in a school."

"You don't use your eyes do you?" Hermione asked us. "It was standing on a trapdoor which means it wasn't there by accident. It was guarding something," she said this very seriously, as if she was absolutely certain of her assumptions.

"Guarding something?" I questioned her, how can she know that? If the beast was guarding something that means that it could be dangerous. Why would Headmaster Dumbledore even let it into the school if it was dangerous to its students and Professors? This whole thing didn't feel right and I think more was at work here then we knew at the moment.

"That's right. Now, if you two don't mind I'm going to be before either of you try coming up with another clever way to get us killed or worse expelled." She went in our dorm but left the door open for me.

"She needs to sort out our priorities." I nodded in agreement with Ron. Either she wants to stay with us or she does her own thing which would be to stay in the library the whole time.

"I'll see you later in Astronomy Ron."

"Oh, damn. I forgot about that. Yeah, see you later Reyna."

Astronomy was taught by Professor Aurora Sinistra, which takes place on the top most level of the Astronomy Tower which was actually the tallest Tower that Hogwarts has. All we did was look at the night sky through our Telescopes and say what we saw so the Professor knew what we knew.

~RP~

On Thursday morning we had Transfiguration where we had to learn the transformation formula, which is that the intended transformation is directly influenced by bodyweight (a), viciousness (v), wand power (w), concentration (c), and a fifth unknown variable (Z). We also got to witness Professor McGonagall turn her desk into a pig which we all laughed at. We wouldn't have to learn how to do that one though. Then we had charms after break and on our last lesson after lunch we had History of Magic.

After School, you were allowed to wear whatever you wanted (especially on a weekend). So I got dressed in a white top and a dark blue jumper that used to belong to Aunt Petunia and the only pair of jeans that I own. Next time I go to Diagon Alley I'll have to think about getting a few more clothes as I will grow every year.

I met up with Wood and we made our way to the training grounds carrying a heavy wooden box between us and Wood was also carrying a wooden bat.

"Quidditch is easy enough to understand. Each team has seven players. Three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and a Seeker, that's you." He dropped the bat and opened the box to reveal different kinds of balls where two of them were strapped down. "There are three kinds of balls." He picked up the middle one that wasn't strapped down and that wasn't quite round as it had curved edges that made it easier to grip. He passed it to me. "That one's called the Quaffle. Now the chasers have to handle the Quaffle and have to pass it through one of those three hoops." He pointed over to the Quidditch pitch were there were three different heights of hoops: the middle one was the tallest, the right one was in the middle and the left on was the smallest. "The Keeper, that's me, defends the hoops. You with me so far?"

I passed the Quaffle back to him. "I think so." But that was only one element. "What are those?" I nodded towards the two strapped down balls that were actually moving, like they wanted to get out. I would have thought it would be impossible for a ball to move about but since entering the magical world I've found that less and less things are starting to surprise me even though I haven't even been here a week.

"Ah, you better take this," he handed me the bat. He unclipped one of the balls and immediately it shot off straight up into the air. It then started coming back down. "Careful now, it's coming back." I wacked it with the bat before it could have hit me. I managed to hit it through the statue of a man holding two crossed swords above him which was pretty high up.

"Not bad Potter." I got praise from Wood! "You'd make a fair Beater." I feel pretty pleased with that but then it came back. "Oh no." Wood got ready to catch it and the ball slammed into his chest. As the ball kept wriggling to be set free, Wood rolled around the ground a little before he managed to put the ball back in the box and strap it in.

"What was that?" I've never seen a ball that was able to move on its own before.

"Bludgers, nasty little buggers but you... are a Seeker." On the inside of the lid of the box he opened a shield that had all the Hogwarts animal's on it and it opened to reveal a small, gold, fist sized ball. He brought it out and held it up so I could see it. "The only thing I want you to worry about is this, the Golden Snitch."

He passed it to me. "I like this ball." It was very pretty. It was probably made of gold, that's what it looked like it was made out of anyway.

"Ah, you like it now. Just you wait," he warned me, "its wicked fast and damn near impossible to see." How can a ball be that fast and that invisible?

"What do I do with it?" He hadn't explained that to me yet.

"You catch it." He made it sound so simple. "Before the other team Seeker." He just had to add that. "You catch this Potter and we win."

I laid my hand out flat and the ball developed wings that allowed it to hover in the air above my hands before it whizzed of a few feet away from me. "Wow." I said that for two reasons: one, I've found that I'm really enjoying this sport so far and can't wait till I play a game; two, I've found that the whole game rests on me as the game won't end till me or the other Seeker wins then game. I've got a lot of pressure on my young shoulders. Not that I haven't already what with my fame for being the Girl-Who-Lived but I didn't care about that fame and glory that comes with being a celebrity but I suppose I do care about my status at school (but wanting to leave out the fame though).

~RP~

When we had breakfast on Friday Hedwig got to deliver me her first mail. It was from Hagrid asking if I'd like tea with him after lunch as he knew I didn't have any lessons this afternoon.

"Ron, do you have any spare parchment?"

He had his mouth full so he shook his head instead. It was disgusting seeing food inside his mouth while he was talking but I suppose that was boys for you. I'm glad I'm not a boy as I don't want to have Ron' awful table manners.

I turned to Hermione when she asked me, "You can borrow some of mine if you like Reyna?"

"Thanks Hermione. Ron, would you like to go with me to visit Hagrid this afternoon?"

"Yeah sure," he replied once he swallowed the food he was eating.

In my letter I replied in the positive and said I hoped it would be okay if I brought a friend with me.

Just before breakfast ended we headed back to the common room so we could get our books and everything we would need for double Potions.

This was taught by Professor Severus Snape who was Head of Slytherin House. I wasn't really sure what I was feeling at the moment. I was dreading the lesson as we had it with the Slytherin's which included Malfoy. I had lessons with him in Defence against the Dark Arts (which most people say DADA), Transfiguration, Potions and I used to have flying lessons with him.

I will not have flying lessons anymore, rather just train with my Quidditch team.

We headed down to the dungeons and entered a large dark room. It was squared-sized, with large tables and windows. In the corner resided a stone basin used to wash students' hands and ladles. There were also varying sizes of cauldrons around the room and I could also see that near the teachers desk there was a cabinet full of different potion supplies.

We found a seat near the front; I sat in-between Ron and Hermione and found everyone was chattering as the teacher wasn't in yet. Then the door slammed open and Snape came rushing in to the front.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few," here he looked at Draco who smiled, "who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." Draco raised his eyebrow. I was writing this all down so I didn't notice Snape look at me in disapproval. "Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not...pay...attention."

Hermione nudges me in the ribs. I look up.

"Miss Potter. Our... new... celebrity." I could hear Malfoy and his two friends Crabbe and Goyle snigger off to my right. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hermione's hand skyrockets.

Powered infusion of what? I turned to Ron to see him looking as stumped as I was. I shrugged. "You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Miss Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione's hand shoots up again. What even is a Bezoar?

"I don't know, Sir," I answered quietly.

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfbane?"

"I don't know, Sir," I repeated. I have read the required book, well more like skimmed over them, but I can't remember anything from it. It's also still our first week, how can he expect us to memorise it so quickly.

"Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it, Miss Potter?" I don't even want this fame that I have to my name. "For your information, Potter, Asphodel and Wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A Bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for Monkshood and Wolfbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of Aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying this down?"

I had a point taken from Gryffindor for not answering any questions. It wasn't the only reason why I came to hate Snape: for one thing, he always seemed to favour Malfoy the most and was biased in favour of his House so we ended up not getting any points by the end of the lesson but rather lose some or a lot.

Snape put us all into pairs, Ron and I were put together, and we were asked to create a simple potion to cure boils. We followed the instructions from our books and found only few bits that were difficult for us.

Seamus and Neville were next to us and all of a sudden there was a huge bang and green smoke. Neville had somehow managed to blow up the cauldron and now he was suffering from rapidly appearing boils. Seamus took him to the Hospital Wing and I got some more points taken off for not reminding him to add the Porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire. Let's just say I really don't like Snape now.

After break we had Herbology which was definitely a calmer lesson as we had to write an essay on the spell 'incendio' detailing what it is and used for.

After lunch Ron and I made our way to Hagrid's hut which was a small wooden building that was situated just before the Forbidden forest.

I knocked on the door. We heard barking before Hagrid opened the door by a slit, just allowing us to see his face. "Ah, it's you Reyna. Down Fang."

There was only one room inside with hams and pheasants hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle stood boiling over an open fire and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yourselves at home."

He poured us some tea and handed us some rock cakes. We had to pretend we liked those. We could barely bight into them.

"So, correct me if I'm mistaken but your friend is another Weasley isn't he?" Hagrid asked me, looking at Ron.

"Yes, Sir," Ron replied. "Ron Weasley, sir."

"Oh, don't bother with that sir business. Just call me Hagrid. Any friend of Reyna here is a friend of mine. Tell me you two, how did you first week of school go?"

And so me and Ron (who soon became comfortable around Hagrid now (he used to be intimidated by Hagrid's huge size)) told Hagrid about our first week of lessons that included how our Quidditch practice went and our Potions lesson.

"Snape seems to really hate me Hagrid," I said to him. I wondered why he did. He'd only just met me he shouldn't just me just on my name and title alone. It wasn't nice that people did that.

"Ah, Professor Snape, don't worry about him Reyna. He's the best Potion's master Hogwarts has ever seen. He's a real tribute to the school." I had a feeling that Hagrid wasn't telling me something about Snape as he refused to me my eyes. Don't worry though. I will find out one day just why Snape is acting like this. "Now, to cheer ya up how about what it was like when your father played Quidditch?" I know he said that to take the subject off Snape but I was willing to follow if Hagrid would talk about my father.

"Yes! Yes, please Hagrid." Hagrid smiled at my enthusiasm and anticipation. I'd scooted forwards to the end of my seat and was staring wide eyed at Hagrid. I was fully prepared to hang off his every word. I could see Ron doing the same, smiling at me as well, pleased for I that got to learn more about my parents. I'd told him what Hagrid told me a few days ago at the pub in Diagon Alley, how my parents died and a bit of what it was like to grow up with the Dursley's.

So for the rest of the afternoon Hagrid told me about my father on the Quidditch pitch and I memorized every word spoken. We spent the rest of a nice evening with Hagrid but we left when it started to get dark. We promised to come and visit him next week whenever we had a free period that we could spare for him. All in all, it was a great first week at Hogwarts, minus the danger of course.


End file.
